Allyson Cote POV:

"You belong to me, Kennedy."

The words hung in the air.

A chilling echo that resonated deep within my bones.

Kennedy, her voice laced with mock innocence, pressed him further.

"Oh, do I, Archer?"

"Do you even know what love is?"

"Or is it just possession for you?"

Then, a harsh, undeniable sound.

A muffled gasp, followed by the undeniable thud of a body against the wall.

Archer' s fervent, desperate kiss.

And then, the sounds of intimacy, the undeniable proof of their twisted connection, of his profound betrayal.

My world shattered into a million irreparable pieces.

My father.

My heroic, kind father.

Murdered.

Orchestrated by the man I loved, to save the woman he truly loved.

The irony was a bitter taste in my mouth, burning my throat.

Every tender moment, every loving glance, every whispered promise from Archer was now a poisonous dart, piercing my heart.

The memories that once brought me comfort now twisted into grotesque images of manipulation and deceit.

I stumbled back.

My hands flying to my mouth, stifling the strangled sob that threatened to escape.

Tears streamed down my face.

Hot and furious.

Blurring my vision.

My chest ached.

Not from betrayal, but from a profound, terrifying emptiness.

Archer.

This monster was Archer.

I numbly retreated to my bedroom, the sounds from the study a dull throb in my head.

My reflection in the mirror showed a stranger.

Tear-stained cheeks.

Swollen eyes.

A haunted blankness in their depth.

All around me, like ghostly remnants of a life that would never be, hung the wedding dresses.

Ninety-nine of them.

Each one a testament to my foolish hope.

My blind faith.

My utter humiliation.

I ran my hand over the shimmering silk of the latest gown.

A ridiculous confection of lace and pearls.

He'd bought it yesterday, promising me this one would be "the one."

"It's even more perfect than the last, Allyson," he' d said.

His voice dripping with affection.

"Just like our love."

The words were a vile mockery now.

I picked up the phone, my fingers still shaking.

I called Elliott Nolan.

He was my only hope.

After the call, after confirming my escape route, I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, sleep an impossible stranger.

My mind raced, replaying every moment, every lie, every stolen breath of my past.

The door creaked open.

Archer stepped in, a soft smile on his face, his eyes heavy-lidded and satisfied. He smelled of Kennedy' s sickeningly sweet perfume, mingling with the sharp tang of his own cologne.

My stomach churned. He moved towards me, his arms reaching out.

"My love," he murmured, pulling me into a tender embrace.

I stiffened, a wave of revulsion washing over me. His touch, once a balm, now felt like a viper's coil. I instinctively pulled away, my body recoiling from the contact.

"What's wrong, Allyson?" His smile faltered.

"Still upset about Kennedy? Don't be silly. You know she's nothing."

His voice was patronizing, dismissive. "You're acting childish."

My blood ran cold.

Childish?

He had just orchestrated my father's death, been intimate with another woman, and now he called me childish.

The rage boiled, a silent inferno within me. But I swallowed it down.

Seven days.I just needed seven more days.

"It's nothing," I forced out, my voice flat, devoid of emotion.

"Just a little tired."

He kissed my forehead, seemingly pacified. "Don't worry, darling. Our wedding will be perfect. The 99th time is the charm, right?"

He chuckled, a sound that grated on my nerves.

"What about this dress? Did you like it?" He gestured to the latest gown.

"It's… ugly," I said, a flicker of defiance in my voice.

His brow furrowed for a moment, then cleared.

A wide grin spread across his face. "Ugly? You know what? You're right! It's not good enough for you, my queen. Tell you what, let's just… cancel this one too. We'll find something truly spectacular. Something that screams 'Allyson Cote.' We' ll postpone the wedding again, darling. Just until we find the absolutely perfect one."

My heart hammered in my chest.

He was canceling the wedding.

Again.

But this time… this time it was my escape.

He was doing my dirty work for me. My lips curved into a cold, inward smile.

He had no idea.

"Alright, Archer," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Whatever you think is best."

He looked surprised, then pleased.

"My sensible Allyson. Always so understanding." He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my head, feigning sleepiness.

"Seven days," I thought, "and I'll be free."

Just then, a soft knock on the door.

Kennedy's voice, sweet and childlike, floated in.

"Archer? Are you asleep? I had a nightmare. Can you come comfort me?"

Archer sighed, a theatrical display of patience.

"Of course, darling. I'll be right there." He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, "Sleep well, Allyson. I'll be back in a bit."

He left, the door clicking shut behind him. I could hear their muffled voices, then the soft creak of another door.

Then silence.

A chilling silence.

My countdown had begun.

Allyson Cote POV:

"Sleep well, Allyson. I'll be back in a bit." Archer's words, a hollow echo, faded into the night.

He left, feigning a sigh of annoyance at Kennedy's interruption, but his footsteps were quick, eager.

I heard the soft click of Kennedy' s bedroom door, then, unmistakably, their hushed whispers, followed by the sounds of their intimacy floating through the thin walls.

Each muffled moan, each soft sigh, was a hammer blow to my already shattered heart, filling me with a visceral disgust.

I pulled my pillow over my head, pressing it hard against my ears, desperate to block out the sounds, to drown out the reality.

But the images were already burned into my mind.

I lay there, trembling, until the first rays of dawn pierced through the curtains. Archer never returned.

His promise, like all the others, was nothing but ash.

I scrubbed the tears from my face, a fierce resolve hardening my features.

No more.

Not one more tear for him. He wasn' t worth it. I reached for the small, wooden bird carved by my father, a smooth, comforting weight in my palm.

It was the only thing I had left of him.

I clutched it tight, finally drifting into a fitful sleep.

A sharp bark startled me awake. My eyes snapped open. A low growl rumbled from the foot of my bed.

I sat bolt upright, heart leaping into my throat.

A monstrous creature, all muscle and teeth, with eyes like burning coals, stood there.

Archer' s Rottweiler, Hades, a beast I was terrified of.

My breath hitched.

I remembered my deeply ingrained fear of dogs, a fear Archer had once, in an act of calculated charm, pretended to help me overcome. He' d brought Hades home, promising to desensitize me, but mostly it was just another way to control me, another reason for me to depend on him.

Hades, though, wasn't just growling. He had something in his mouth.

Something small and wooden. My father's bird.

"No!" I screamed, my voice raw. Panic and a sudden, furious protectiveness surged through me, eclipsing my fear of the dog. He couldn't take that.

It was all I had left.

I scrambled out of bed, ignoring the throbbing pain in my body from the previous night's assault.

The dog bolted, my precious keepsake clamped firmly between its teeth. I scrambled after him, my bare feet pounding against the cold marble floors.

Hades led me straight to the garden, a sprawling, perfectly manicured expanse that was Kennedy' s favorite.

And there she was, lounging by the pool, a smug smile on her face. Hades wagged his tail, dropping the bird at her feet. Kennedy picked it up, her delicate fingers turning it over, a sneer twisting her lips.

"Is this it?" she drawled, her gaze flicking to me, contempt dripping from her voice. "Your precious keepsake? Looks cheap. Just like you."

Then, with a casual flick of her wrist, she hurled the wooden bird against the stone fountain.

It hit with a small crack, splitting into two jagged pieces.

My breath caught in my throat. My heart stopped.

The sudden, agonizing pain of betrayal, of desecration, was so sharp, it cleared my head of all fear. The image of my father, his kind eyes, his gentle hands carving that bird, flashed before me.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice trembling with a rage so profound it shook me to my core. "Why would you do that, Kennedy?"

She merely laughed, a high, mocking sound. "Oh, Allyson. Still so naive. What are you going to do? Run to Archer? Cry to him? He won't care. He never did."

Something snapped inside me.

All the years of humiliation, all the broken promises, all the pain and betrayal coalesced into a single, blinding fury. I lunged at her, my hand connecting with her cheek with a resounding smack.

"Give it back!" I screamed, my voice hoarse. "Give me my father's bird!"

Kennedy shrieked, clutching her cheek.

But before I could land another blow, Hades was on me. His teeth clamped down on my arm, tearing through the thin silk of my nightgown, ripping into my flesh. I barely felt it.

My mind was a red haze of rage.

A powerful force ripped me away from Kennedy.

I flew backward, hitting the stone wall with a sickening thud. The impact knocked the wind out of me, darkness swirling at the edges of my vision. My head throbbed, a dull ache blooming behind my eyes.

Archer.

It was Archer. His face was a mask of furious contempt. He'd saved Kennedy.

Again.

Allyson Cote POV:

My head slammed against the cold stone, a searing pain igniting behind my eyes.

For a moment, the world spun, vision blurring, then slowly, agonizingly, it swam back into focus. Archer.

He stood over Kennedy, cradling her in his arms, his cheek pressed gently against her hair.

His eyes, usually so calculating, were filled with a tenderness I had only ever dreamed of receiving.

He looked at me then, his gaze colder than ice, a stranger' s stare.

"What have you done?" His voice was a guttural growl, filled with a furious protectiveness I had never witnessed, not even when I was injured. "How dare you touch her?"

Kennedy, nestled in his embrace, sobbed theatrically.

"She just… she just went crazy, Archer! She attacked me for no reason! She broke my nose!"

Her voice was muffled, but her words, dripping with false innocence, twisted the knife deeper.

"And she smashed Hades' favorite toy! She's so jealous, so vicious!"

Hades' favorite toy. My father's precious, handmade bird.

Kennedy looked at me, a triumphant smirk flashing across her tear-streaked face.

"Don't lie!" I gasped, my voice raw, my body aching.

"She smashed my father's keepsake! She provoked me!"

Archer' s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on Kennedy.

"Allyson, enough! I saw what you did. You're out of control. Spoiled. Vicious. I'm disappointed in you." He cut me off before I could even try to explain.

"You will apologize to Kennedy. Now."

My blood ran cold.

Apologize?

After everything?

He was truly blind.

"I will not," I spat, defiance burning in my eyes.

Archer' s face hardened. He pulled out his phone.

"Guards! Get down here! And I want her confined. Give her ten times what Kennedy suffered. Let her learn her lesson."

Two burly bodyguards materialized, their faces impassive.

They grabbed me, their hands rough, unyielding. My arms were twisted behind my back, a sharp pain shooting through my shoulder.

Archer, holding Kennedy close, walked away, his back to me. He didn't even glance back.

He just left me there, to the mercy of his men.

The sight of his retreating back, his complete indifference to my suffering, was the final, devastating blow.

My heart, already shattered, crumbled into dust.

The guards were brutal, just as Archer had commanded.

Blow after blow rained down on me. I bit back a scream, refusing to give them, or Archer, the satisfaction of hearing me break.

My face swelled, my vision blurred with unshed tears and pain.

My body felt like a bruised pulp.

Finally, they dragged me, a broken rag doll, back to my room.

They threw me onto the hard floor like a piece of trash.

I landed with a sickening thud, a cry escaping my lips as my back hit the ground. I curled into a ball, shaking uncontrollably, every inch of my body screaming in agony.

"Just let it end," I whimpered, a desperate prayer. "Please, just let it end."

The darkness mercifully swallowed me.

I dreamed.

A long, beautiful dream of my father, his arms around me, his gentle smile, my mother laughing nearby. A dream of a normal, happy life, free from the shadows of betrayal and cruelty.

It was a sweet, agonizing torment.

The dream was shattered by a splash of icy water.

I gasped, my eyes flying open, my body convulsing from the shock.

The cold, harsh reality slammed into me. I was lying on a cold, tiled floor.

This wasn' t my bedroom.It wasn't Archer's house.

Where was I?